OT: Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh enters the public domain this year. Michael Hiltzik explain our copyright laws don’t actually work they way they are supposed to, namely, allow protection for artists, yet allow subsequent artists to build on previous works. Now copyright mostly provides moats for large corporations.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-01-03/winnie-the…

As an example, Disney made movies like Snow White, Cinderella, Tom Sawyer, Pinocchio, Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, etc. which were all stories in the public domain. Yet some of the older movies are not in the public domain.

In related news, all sound recordings made in 1923 (and earlier) will enter the public domain this year:

https://publicdomainreview.org/blog/2021/12/all-sound-record…

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